Hugh’s Blog

What scares you?

I started on my goals in December with the usual trepidation. Part of me always resists the rote nature of writing goals: making a list and trying to stretch my boundaries but be realistic. and then I had a new thought.

When I plan an adventure trip there is always a wonderful buzz of excitement, followed closely by that “Oh mygawd what have I done?”. It’s that feeling you get when you sign the mortgage documents on your first home and realizing that for the next 5 years it’s going to be a diet of beans .

We now know that the neurotransmitter dopamine is the agent of the anticipation zone we find ourselves in. While our expectations of the future event often out weight the reality, the anticipation gives us focus and motivation. This is a good thing!

OK, back to my goals, I started to think about how to bring that going-on-a-bear-hunt buzz to my goals. And here’s the insight: I need to scare myself (just a bit). When I read my goals there should be a wee lump in the throat and tightening of the gut. I need to remind myself that it’s about getting it on today. Not about catching up in September.
I’m leaving you with one of the most inspirational speeches I read. This is from Steve Jobs, founder of Apple and Pixar, at Stanford graduation ceremony June 2005.

Get scared.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” (Excerpt from the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005.)